The Whitsundays

19th September
A leisurely breakfast and a slow start saw us reluctantly leaving Shaw Island. We had had a very pleasant couple of days there and determined to come back with the family for some swimming and oyster picking!

Seeing as Scott was leaving us the next day we thought it would be nice to go round to Whitehaven Beach though the wind was not ideal. We went past Lindeman Island and Pentecost Island. By this time the Suzanne was rolling wildly and we made the decision that Whitehaven would be no good – with Scott declaring he would rather sit in a peaceful spot than be thrown around the cabin and he would visit Whitehaven some other time!

We diverted and headed up the Fitzalan Passage in a great deal more comfort. We passed Hamilton Island Resort and fully appreciated the destruction of Cyclone Debbie. We had seen signs of damage all the way up but never to this extent.
Ending up in the quiet waters of Nara Inlet, we stayed the night drinking the last of our gin and whiskey and partaking of the last of our perishable food. We had been ‘at sea’ for 9 days and were pleased to find that our water had held out well but the rubbish was taking over the boat!

20th September
Next day it was off to Abel Point Marina to drop Scott off and pick up Robbie. We passed a whale on the way that gave us a great display. Annoyingly I had only just started using my new camera and zoomed out rather than in, which somewhat negated the spectacular effect. Even more annoyingly this turned out to be the only whale we saw the entire time we were in the Whitsundays.

Last night on board with Scott and first with Robbie. We picked up some supplies and had a very enjoyable meal at Hemingway’s (thank you Scott). Great menu and good wines left us feeling well satisfied with the world.

21st September
The next morning we did some washing and had breakfast on the deck at the Ocean Club – a new initiative of Abel Point Marina that sets it apart from other marinas. What was originally destined to be a floating restaurant out on one of the arms has now been developed into an amenities complex with ensuite showers, a laundromat and picnic area with brunch provided and barbeque facilities for lunch and dinner. The laundromat has plenty of washing machines and dryers and whilst you wait you can breakfast on tea/coffee, fruit/yoghurt and croissants/muffins on the deck overlooking the marina. The cost to join? $10.
Robbie had requested a calm anchorage so we decided to go back to Nara Inlet.

There was an aboriginal cave with some paintings at the end of the Inlet, which we were interested to see. It was a fairly easy walk, though with my knees I found it a bit more challenging. Definitely worth the climb with lots of information and ancient cycads to see as well as the cave paintings.

22nd September
The following morning we headed for Whitehaven with Ernest at the helm – causing Robbie some nervousness! We anchored off the northern end of the beach and took the dinghy into a gutter, which was about waist deep and had a flat firm bottom – ideal for water walking and swimming. Also ideal for sitting on the edge drinking wine!

Cyclone Debbie had hit Whitehaven hard. With trees stripped bare and many of them dead it was quite a different spot from last year and whilst there are signs of recovery, it will be some time before it is returned to it’s former glory.

As it was a bit too rolly to remain at Whitehaven we decided to try Cid Harbour and anchored off Sawmill Beach.

Edgar, Ernest and I decided to try the bush walk round to Dugong Bay but the light beat us and we had to return without reaching our destination. Robbie’s asthma was playing up and she decided to remain behind and look for shells – probably a wise move!

23rd September
The next day bright and early we headed for Butterfly Bay via Hook Passage.

We arrived just after eight and managed to secure a good mooring where (as there were plenty of free moorings) we remained until just after lunch, snorkeling and swimming and generally relaxing.

Last night for Robbie and Ernest and they opted to spend it in Nara Inlet. When we awoke the next morning the water was so still and mirror like we could see the clouds and cliffs reflected almost perfectly. We spent the morning reading and chatting and departed for Abel Point in the early afternoon.

24th September
Another bout of washing and a big shop before the family arrived in a couple of days. We made sure we had plenty of snacks, biscuits, drink, chips and biscuits to keep the hunger pangs at bay with three small children as well as plenty of sausages, hot dogs and hamburgers.

We stowed everything away and once again adjourned to Hemingway’s for dinner, this time courtesy of Ernest and Robbie. Standouts were the Smoke Infused Rum smoked and served at the table in a very spectacular manner, the Mixed Dozen of Oysters and the desserts.

The oysters were different and very flavoursome. Edgar and I shared a dozen which consisted of one natural, one with pink champagne & lychee, one with Ora king Salmon and coconut granita, a chorizo oyster (which was a much nicer twist than Kilpatrick) and probably our two favourites -though they were all good – blue cheese with grape and cucumber, mirin and pickled ginger. The desserts were spectacular The Tropical Panna Cotta came in a glass sealed with the mango gel. The warm chocolate sauce was then poured on and melted it’s way down into the tropical fruit

25th September
We did our final wash and had breakfast on the deck at the Ocean Club, a bit of shopping then farewelled Robbie and Ernest and headed out to return to Nara Inlet and to get the boat ready for the onslaught the next day.